Gap yanks Yeezy products from stores and shutters website amid Kanye West backlash - CBS News

Adidas drops Kanye West aft antisemitic remarks

Adidas drops Kanye West aft antisemitic remarks 02:12

Gap is removing each Yeezy Gap products from its stores and the retailer's e-commerce tract amid increasing backlash implicit antisemitic comments by Ye, the rapper formerly known arsenic Kanye West.

In September, West severed his footwear and covering woody with the retailer, with his lawyer telling CBS MoneyWatch astatine the clip that Gap had failed to conscionable definite contractual obligations. In a connection connected Tuesday, Gap cited Ye's "recent remarks and behavior" arsenic its crushed for yanking Yeezy Gap items from stores and shutting down YeezyGap.com.

• Adidas ends concern with Ye, formerly known arsenic Kanye West, implicit antisemitic remarks

"Antisemitism, racism and hatred successful immoderate signifier are inexcusable and not tolerated successful accordance with our values," the apparel concatenation said. "On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hatred and discrimination."

In 2020, Gap and the hip-hop star inked what was expected to beryllium a 10-year woody nether which helium designed Yeezy-branded merchandise to beryllium sold successful Gap stores. West received royalties and Gap banal based connected income of Yeezy items. 

Commercial fallout 

Gap's determination to region itself from Ye highlights the commercialized fallout for the creator aft respective antisemitic comments. Facing nationalist unit to chopped ties with West, German sportswear elephantine Adidas connected Tuesday said it has pulled the plug connected its partnership with him implicit his remarks. 

"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and immoderate different benignant of hatred speech," the institution said successful a statement. "Ye's caller comments and actions person been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they interruption the company's values of diverseness and inclusion, communal respect and fairness."

Kanye West suspended from Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts 04:42

Earlier this month, Ye tweeted a menace that helium would spell "death [sic] con 3" connected Jewish people, alluding to a defence readiness designation utilized by the U.S. military. He besides posted a screenshot of a substance speech with Sean "Diddy" Combs successful which helium suggested Combs was being controlled by Jews.

West precocious suggested slavery was a prime and called the COVID-19 vaccine the "mark of the beast," among different arguable comments. He was besides criticized for wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt to his Yeezy postulation amusement successful Paris. The operation has been adopted and promoted by achromatic supremacist groups and sympathizers, according to the Anti-Defamation League. 

Impact connected wealthiness uncertain

In 2021, Bloomberg ranked West arsenic the wealthiest Black American, pegging his nett worthy astatine $6 billion. At the time, betwixt $3.2 cardinal and $4.7 cardinal of that nett worthy came from West's partnerships with Gap and Adidas, according to concern slope UBS. 

But the interaction connected Ye's wealthiness is uncertain arsenic different erstwhile concern partners propulsion back. Ye's endowment agency, CAA, also dropped him this week, and the MRC workplace announced Monday that it is shelving documentary astir him.

"This morning, aft treatment with our filmmakers and organisation partners, we made the determination not to proceed with immoderate organisation for our precocious completed documentary astir Kanye West. We cannot enactment immoderate contented that amplifies his platform," MRC said successful a statement.